Work is finally set to begin to address issues that have prevented the opening of the hike and bike portion of the Margaret McDermott Bridge over the Trinity River in downtown Dallas.
Issues related to the cable anchorage system have been at the center of a long-running multi-agency dispute over the pedestrian portion of the $115 million Interstate 30 bridge.
The Texas Department of Transportation "completed the contractual obligations necessary to move forward with the resolution with the contractor," according to a Thursday memo from the City Manager's office. The contractor will install a larger anchorage system and replace the existing cables that support the bridge.
City officials have been fighting with the state, the contractors and the architect over who should pay for the work. Barricades posted on all entrances have blocked use of the pedestrian bridges.
Materials are being manufactured and are expected to arrive in Dallas in the coming weeks, the memo read. Work is expected to begin as early as the second week of January and estimated to be complete by the end of the year.
"TxDOT, their contractor, the City and our engineer of record will continue to work together as this work is performed in the field," the memo said.
The $100 million hike and bike paths were designed by famous architect Santiago Calatrava. The bridges built were a compromise from a much more expensive bridge that was to support the highway crossing. Instead, the freeway traffic crosses the river over a standard bridge with support piers under the roadway.
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The option of lower-cost hike and bike suspension bridges beside the standard highway bridge also underwent additional "value engineering" to further reduce the cost by $3 million, records showed.
